Multnomah County leaders worry some of the county's most
vulnerable senior citizens could miss out on their social security payments
next month, after a company that manages federal benefits for 1,000 residents
abruptly closed last week.

On Wednesday, Street Roots broke the news that federal
authorities are investigating Safety Net of Oregon, a nonprofit "payee" that
distributes federal benefits to elderly and disabled residents who are unable
to manage their own benefits. The investigation is "based on allegations that
Safety Net was mismanaging clients' funds," the Street Roots report said.

Many people who used Safety Net to access social security
payments are clients of the county's health and social service system, said Lee
Girard, a county Aging and Disability Services manager.

People who received benefits through Safety Net must sign up
with another payee to continue collecting social security. Girard said patients
who don't transfer by March 21st could be in danger of missing their April
payments.

"They won't have funding to pay their rent, buy groceries,
or pay utilities," she said. "That would put these people at huge risk."

But making sure those
people are aware of Safety Net's demise could prove difficult.

Officials from the Social Security Administration sent
letters and made phone calls to notify Safety Net's clients about the
situation, but Girard said some letters never made it to the intended
recipient, and many phone calls went unanswered. That's because many of the
company's clients are homeless or frequent movers, she said.

Because county officials don't have access to the names of
those served by Safety Net, Girard said there is no way of knowing how many of
the company's clients are still unaware that they must find a new payee.

"We're very concerned," Girard said. ""We don't know how
many people won't know in time to get their payee transferred."